Quidditch World Cup will be played in Kissimmee

"Kissimmee has captured the golden snitch of sports events: Quidditch World Cup.

Hard as it may be to believe, the game played by Harry Potter and his wizard pals on flying broomsticks is now a growing sport among mere muggles.

About 2,000 athletes and 20,000 spectators are expected to descend on Central Florida in mid-April for Quidditch World Cup VI, based on the game invented by Potter author J.K. Rowling.

If you're wondering, there are broomsticks in human quidditch, but they don't soar.

"We run with broomsticks instead of fly," said Hannah Lindgren, the World Cup's director. "We often compare it to rugby for its physicality, but it also has aspects of soccer, basketball and dodgeball."

Students at Middlebury College in Vermont adapted the game for Earth-bound participants in 2005, and the sport is played at more than 300 universities and high schools, according to the International Quidditch Association. (Yes, that actually exists, too.)

The April 13-14 competition is expected to generate $7 million for the local economy, the Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau said. And though the event isn't affiliated with Universal Orlando, the theme-park resort's Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be an added attraction for athletes and spectators, organizers said."

Sara K. Clarke

I'm not much of a fan of this whole franchise, but I guess you have to acknowledge its cultural significance and staying power.